


Listen Cat...

by LastOblivion



Category: Tom and Jerry (MGM/Hanna-Barbera)
Genre: Falling In Love, Fluff, Listen Cat, M/M, Yaoi, spike the dog - Freeform, tom the cat - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-19
Updated: 2017-11-25
Packaged: 2018-08-23 09:02:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8322001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LastOblivion/pseuds/LastOblivion
Summary: One night, while Tom was sleeping, he gets a rude awakening from Spike. After the two exchange words, they slowly begin to warm up to each other. Soon they begin to think, that they might be falling for each other.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is one ship i have always liked. It was pretty sad when i couldn"t find any pairings of them on here. The first two chapter will be pretty fluffy, but there will be le sexy times in at some points as well. Enjoy! Th next chapters will be longer.

The night breeze blowing through the window, was truly peace at mind. It was certainly enough to take his mind of chasing that damn mouse. He snuggled up on the couch to try to get more comfortable. After the days exhaustion, this was like a trip to the spa. He spent all day trying to keep Jerry from destroying Spike's doghouse. Jerry had the habit of breaking things that belonged to spike, only for Spike to turn around and blame Tom. It was pretty annoying, but there wasn't really much he could do about it. Jerry outsmarted him, and Spike outmuscles him. Almost as if the whole world was against him.....but now wasn't the time for him to feel sorry for himself, it was the time to sleep..... 

 

"Wham"! The door yelled as it was thrown open. Tom jumped up in surprise. He thought maybe it was just the mouse running through the fridge.....but upon looking around, a closer inspection showed that it was noneother than Spike, standing in the doorway with an angry expression on his face. He huffed and puffed, as he made his way over to Tom. "alright cat, get up! I know it was you", the bulldog yelled as he tilted the couch , causing Tom to fall over. "You destroyed my house again, didn't you? You ruined it!", Spike yelled as he bared his teeth. 

 

Tom shook his head rapidly. "What are you talking about? I've been in here all day trying to sleep", the cat said back as he was trying to regain his posure. He stood up and dusted himself off. 

 

"Thats bull and you know it! Only someone as stupid as you would find a way to destroy my house every time i build it", Spike continued. 

 

"Stupid? Stupid?!" Tom said angrily in his head. His expression began to take an agressive turn. He was a lot of things. Sneaky, maybe, gullible yes, but stupid? No! "For your information, it wasn't me, it was Jerry. He was the one who broke your damn house. HE broke it becuase he knew you would get angry at me. I know this becuase i spent all day trying to stop him from doing it" Tom said, as he stood tall. 

 

"BULL", Spike repeated. You expect me to believe that mouse blew up my house? Thats completely ridiculous! Spike ranted on. 

 

"No! Whats ridiculous is that you march in here, and claim i did something that you have no proof of me doing. Then you flip me off of my couch in the rudest way possible, without even the slightest intention of talking this out. Thats what i find ridiculous", Tom snapped back. 

 

Spike walked closer over to Tom, seemingly still harboring anger within his face. "Dont give me that crap. You've destroyed my house more times than i can count! It always points to you, why should this time be any different? Why i ought to....." spike began to say. 

 

"Ought to what? Hit me again? Will hurting me make you feel any better? Then Go ahead, im used to it by now. Just do it so i can go back to sleep", Tom said as he began to sound like he simply wanted to end the argument. 

 

Spike simply stood in surprise. Its not like he would enjoy hitting Tom....or anyone for that matter. But deep down insdide, he knew he had slightly violent tendancy, and he would usually take them out on Tom whenever given the oppertunity. After seconds that felt like minutes, had passed, Spike finally spoke up. "I.....i'm not going to hit you", he said as he looked down at the floor. He actually started to feel somewhat guilty. 

 

"Look Spike....its late, and im sleepy and a little cranky. I'm sure you just feel the same. I really didn't do anything to your house this time, but if it helps, i'll help you rebuild it tommorow", Tom said. 

 

"Th.....thank you, it would certainly help it go by faster. Night", he haid as he turned around and walked outside. The cold October air blew again, causeing Spike to shiver slightly. 

Tom took note of this, and also began to feel sorta bad.When he thought about it he did destroy Spike's house more than he also could count. Even if all those other times he was only trying to catch that mouse, he still broke it nonetheless. "Hey Spike, why don’t you....well, stay here for the night. You know it's kinda cold out there", Tom said as he twiddeled his thumbs. 

The bulldog froze in his steps. He never thought he would hear Tom offer him anything really. Even tho, they wern't exactly the best of friends, in fact, up until now, they despised each other. He wasn't quite usre, maybe they still dislike each other, but right now, Tom was offering him somewhere to stay for the night, and it made him feel....somewhat happy. "Are.....are you sure it wouldn't be a problem? I can really stay here for the night", Spike asked. 

"Yeah sure. It’s the least I can do, and in the morning,, I'll help you fix your dog house. Here, come on in", Tom said, as he backed up from the doorway in an inviting manner. 

Spike was hesitant at first. I mean, he thought about it again, how they were pretty much enemies. This could all be a ploy for Tom to get back at him. Maybe Tom had finally snapped and wanted to.....but then, he shrugged off the thought before he could finish it. He didn't want, to go sleep on the cold ground at night. "Oh....um, ok thank you" hes aid as he entered the house.


	2. Listen Cat- Getting Warmer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two have a nice lovely talk. And They begin to feel something.

The fireplace presented a show of light, emitted by dancing flames. It not only brightened the area, but also provided warmth. "I didn't realize how cold it was until I opened that door. I closed the windows so it should get much warmer", Tom said as he rubbed his own shoulders. 

Spike sat down on the couch, and huddled to one side of it. He wasn't quite used to furniture. Whenever he was upon furniture, it was usually a luxury. "Do you get to sleep on this all the time", he asked. 

Tom turned around towards Spike. "I usually get to, when our owner is gone. She's on vacation for the next few days, the couch and the bed are open for use. Would you like a snack or something", Tom asked as he made his way towards the kitchen. 

Spikes body perked up. He was a little hungry. But suddenly, he started to think again. "This is weird. I never thought he would offer me food". I mean, there was a time when all three of us got along but that didn't end so well. In fact, it was kinda his own fault it didn't end well......". The sound of cutlery and plates followed by the opening of the fridge filled the kitchen. Spike became slightly restless. He didn't like sitting around doing nothing......unless he was asleep, so he decided to go into the kitchen to see if he could help. After all, he's been in there a few times himself. 

Tom continued to rustle around the kitchen. He pulled out a ham stationed in the fridge. "Well, I suppose this will do. Might go nicely with some bread, cheese, and mustard", Tom said as he drooled slightly. Just then, Spike popped into the kitchen doorway. 

"Hey, I thought maybe you could use some help or something", spike said. 

"Sure. Would you like anything in particular? There's some ham, looks like some pie, a chicken leg and some fruit too" Tom said as he reach for a vine of grapes that laid next to other fruit in a bowl. 

"I'll have what your having I guess. That ham looks pretty good. Do you think she will notice that it's gone", Spike asked as he washed his hands. 

Tom never really thought about it until now, but usually whenever he ate food out the fridge, their owner would not notice. She would think it was just the mouse's doing again.....to which would earn Tom another scolding for being unable to get rid of said mouse. Tho to be fair, Jerry ate his own fair share of foods in the fridge. "Probably not. She'll probably just chalk it up as Jerry eating again....and she'll probably get mad at me, but I tend to tune her out whenever I'm the one who ate the food", Tom replied. 

Spike giggled a little. To think that one mouse could eat so much food was pretty comical. He grabbed some bread from the bag, and slapped a few slices of ham onto them. "This kinda food is a luxury for me you know. I mean, not that I hate the dog food or anything", Spike said. 

Tom finished making his own sandwich, but he waited for Spike to finish constructing his. "Well, in all honesty, it can be a bit of a luxury for me as well. I usually have to sneak this food", he said as he giggled. Come on, I'll tell you the times of my misfortune", Tom said. Soon after, spike finished making his snack, and they both went back into the living room. The fire still burned brightly, but the room, had grown even warmer...... 

Tom took a bite of the sandwich. "And then, he literally began to stick needles into the box. Unknown to him, I was still inside, and then he breaks out a saw......" Tom said as he made a sawing motion with his hand. 

"Your kidding me? He really did that", Spike asked in amazement. Tom nodded. He recalled the time he hid in a present he used to get the drop on Jerry.....but it only ended with Tom going to the hospital. They both laughed, which was cool that Tom could find it so comical after all this time. 

"You know.....it's.....it's good to have someone to talk to. It gets kinda lonely out there,"Spike said as he took a bite of his sandwich. 

Tom thought about it himself. He spent so much time chasing Jerry, that he rarely talked to anyone himself. He did have a few friends he would hang out with occasionally too, but all they ever wanted to do was party. "I agree, it is really lovely", Tom replied But then....it began to make him wonder something. Something that he never wondered before. "Hey Spike.....why are we always feuding? 9 out of ten our encounters are usually based on hostility" Tom asked as he looked at the fire. 

Spike stopped chewing. It was never a question he would have thought to ask......at least not off the top of his head. " I don’t really know, Tom. Maybe it's just in out nature. You know, Cats and Dogs aren't supposed to get along he replied while also looking at the fire. 

"I don’t entirely believe that, you know. I mean look at us, tho it was a little bumpy earlier, we managed to sit here and have a peaceful conversation", Tom said. 

Spike thought about it for a few seconds. And he decided that Tom was right. Why would something as silly as outdated stereotypes stop them from being friends......but it wasn't just that. Occurances on a daily basis were usually the cause of the malice. Whether they were intentional or coincidental....didn't really matter anymore, because he felt....like they were starting to connect. In what way, he wasn't quite sure yet, but maybe enough so they wouldn't drive each other crazy anymore....or at least not as often. "Well, if it's alright with you.....maybe we could......start over? Let's make new, you know" Spike said as he blushed slightly. 

Tom Also blushed. He never in a million years thought he would hear this coming from Spike. To be honest, he thought he would have befriended Jerry before even being in the same room with spike for longer than a few minutes. "You know, i would like that. I I would like that a lot", Tom said. Soon, both of them had finished their sandwiches."It's getting pretty late. We should probably turn in soon, we got a dog house to repair" Tom said as he yawned. "Here, you can have the bed for tonight", he continued as he walked up the stairs. 

"Oh but I couldn't", Spike replied as he followed Tom. It was unclear if Tom had heard Spike, or if maybe he was just insisting, but he continued around the corner. The bedroom was pretty fancy looking. Te bed looked fluffy, and the linen looked kind of expensive. "Man, our owner invests a lot of effort into these rooms huh". 

"Yeah, she really loves to decorate. Particularly in pink", Tom said as he smiled and facepalmed. "You can have the bed", I'll take the couch". 

Spike didn't really feel right taking the bed, while Tom slept on the couch. "Hey......why don't we just.....share the bed". We've don’t that before. Right", Spike said as his eyes darted towards the ground. 

Tom froze in his tracks. Its true, that he Spike and Jerry did share a bed during that "peace phase", but this time it would just be the two of them. But still, he would definitely prefer the cushioned bed over the couch. "Um...ok I don't see why not", after all, it was only for one night. He walked over to the bed, prompting Spike to follow. He then plumped on the bed, still greatly exhausted after being woken up by Spike earlier. Spike followed, and entered the bed as well. 

Right then and there, Spike felt......something. He felt some sort of heat in his body, as if the room grew warmer. He can't recall if he ever felt like this. Was it because he was in an actual bed for so long....maybe because he was next to Tom? "Hey Tom, is the heat on or something....", be he got no reply. He looked over, and saw that Tom was already asleep.....it put a smile on Spike's face to see someone so peaceful.....especially someone he once disliked....or think he disliked. As he settled on the feeling, he drifted to sleep. They had a long day ahead of them in the morning.


	3. On PINS and Needles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two encounter Butch, who is a little skeptical about the sudden truce. The trio goes to the bowling alley for fun, and Spike's feeling for Tom seem to grow stronger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the holdup. I got kinda lazy after the holidays. The story progresses, and i fugured i would add Butch as the best friend. Kind of confusing since in some cases, he is the pal, and some he is the enemy, but for the sake of the story, he's the pal in this one.

The sun beamed in through the slightly open curtain, landing a direct hit on spike's face. Quite the wake up call when you're outside a doghouse. He opened his eyes slowly, and to his surprise.....his arm was wrapped around Tom. He slowly moved his hand away as to not wake Tom. "What in the world......when did that happen", he asked. He wasn't particularly upset about him cuddling his recently declared friend....just really shocked. 

Tom shifted to his side away from Spike, before slowly opening his own eyes. He let out a big yawn, as he raised himself in the bed. "Good morning Spike. Did you sleep well", he asked. 

"Y..yeah. This is a pretty comfortable bed", Spike said, trying to change the subject. Tho the only person he was trying to change it with was himself. 

"Lovely! Let's get to work on that house of yours", Tom said. He tried to hide it, but there was definitely some originless reluctance in his voice. 

This once again confused Spike. Even if they were now....well, acquaintances, he figured Tom would have been trying to get Spike out of there asap. "Well....you know, the pieces will still be there later. We don’t have to do it right now. What do you like to do during the day", he asked. 

"W.....well, when I'm not chasing the mouse, I like to walk through the park, maybe get a hot dog or something. And then later, sometimes I go bowling or something with Butch and Pint", Tom replied. 

"Butch and Pint.....thats the black cat and the short orange cat right? I remember them", spike recalled. He saw them once or twice, but he had less than no interest of getting to know them when he did. 

Yup, that’s them, but i think I won't bother them today. Sometimes all they like to do is party and frankly a break from that would be nice". To spike, it sounded like Tom is the one who didn't want to be bothered. 

"Ok, then....if you don't mind, I could come along with you. I have nothing better to do today anyway", Spike said as he looked at the ground again. 

Tom, simply nodded, as to inform Spike it was fine to have a bowling buddy. With that, the two prepared to go to the park. Once the door opened, the breeze blew through, but it was a nice cool breeze. Very welcoming. The two made their way down to the park. 

Naturally, upon arriving, the two received curious looks from both dogs and cats. Around their area, its was the classical "cats and dogs should not get along" ordeal that kept both species competing against each other.....but both Tom and Spike made a pact to change this.....sort of. The humans didn’t really seem to mind, they just continued throughout their business like they normally do. Looking past all the random activity, Tom notices a familiar face in the crowd. And from the looks of it, he notices right back. 

"Hey Tom, long time no see! What's going on", Butch called as he made his way over to Tom in a hurried pace. Although, his pace began to slow once he saw Spike standing next to Tom. "Oh, boy, what did you do this time Tom", he asked as he facepalmed. 

Tom looked in confusion. He had no idea what Butch was talking about, until it suddenly hit him. "Oh! No Butch, there's no bad blood anymore. You see, we finally got tired of getting on each others nerves so we buried the hatchet", Tom explained. Although, Butch looked kinda skeptical, which both Tom and Spike Took note of. Actually, they would have been surprised if he wasn't skeptical, after all he was also somewhat a part of the two's past rivalry. 

"Yeah, I know, I can tell you’re a bit unconvinced, but it's true. A fresh start", Spike went on. Butch stood in awe. He never thought he would see something like this...except for that one time, which ended in complete failure. Although, he trusted Tom greatly, so.....if it was alright with Tom, then its alright with him. 

"Well, I'm glad to hear it, why don’t we celebrate by going out to a drink", Butch said as he shook both of their hands. Tom replied with a playful shove. 

"Lets just go bowling, ok. Not looking forward to a rough morning", Tom said. Spike was honestly shocked. He made two cat friends so soon.....well, one and a half. Butch was mostly Toms friend. 

The bowling alley was.....nearly empty, except for the two or three other people there, it was basically a ghost town. The lanes lined up for what seemed like a mile, with lots that remained uninhibited by bowling balls. The smell of food filled the air around."Oh well, we got most of the place to ourselves, never a bad thing when bowling", Tom said as he fitted himself with a bowling ball. 

This was actually Spike's first time going bowling. There wasn't many things he got to do outside his own yard. Not because he couldn't, but because he simply didn't see the need to. "So, either of you mind explaining to me how this work", Spike said as he grabbed one of the bowling balls. 

Butch stood in amazement, as if he had saw an alligator pop out of the ball return. "aye yai yai, what a case dis guy is! You help him out Tom, I'm gonna go get us all some Nachos. This is gonna be a long night" Butch said as he walked off towards the food court. Tom smiled and nodded in agreement, and stepped up to the lane. 

"Watch closely Spike, cause it's all in the swing. You have to roll the ball down the lane, and knock all the pins down. Like so", Tom said as he ran forward and threw the ball. The ball went smashing into the pins. 

Spike stood in awe."Holy crap! You knocked them all down in one shot! Way to go!", he said. 

Tom felt a little embarrassed, but in a good way. "Thanks. I've had plenty of practice. Butch and Pint are just as good as I am. Whenever we come down here, we go at it and always end up in a tie. By the time we finally get tired, the manager is ready to close the alley". 

Spike smiled. To be honest, before last night, he just thought that Tom had nothing better to do than chase the mouse around the house all day and destroy dog houses, but even he had a life. Not to say Spike didn't have one. He liked to do things, but he was more old fashioned, like his own walks in the park, and fishing. "Alright, let me try. I bet I can knock them all down too", he said as he motivated himself into picking up a bowling ball. He stood there, for a few seconds, as if he was examining the lane. After a few moments, Tom was almost ready to speak, but Spike ran towards the lane.....but unfortunately, Spike wasn't quite used to the floor yet, and face planted onto the ground. 

Tom let out a small laugh. "Careful, the floor isn't as grippy as most floors". 

Spike got back up quickly. "Alright, alright, that caught me off guard. I got it this time. It didn’t take him long to get used to the floor. It seems he adapts easily. He tried again this time, but managed to stay upright. Although, this time, he rolled the ball with.......force. The ball flew fast, but it went right into the gutter. "ugh....I take it that’s not good....right", Spike asked. Tom shook his head no. 

"You got the power thing going, but it looks like you didn't really aim. Here, let me show you", Tom said as he made his way over to Spike. Spike grabbed the ball from the ball return and walked back over to the lane. Tom followed up close. "First thing's first. Make sure your body is relaxed, and focus on the pins", Tom instructed as he grabbed Spike's arm. 

"O...ok", he said nervously. That feeling he had last night. It was back again. Sort of warm, but at the same time, made his body shake slightly. 

"Now, make a rocking motion with your arm like this, sort of like you want to throw it, but you cant let go", Tom said as he moved Spikes arm forward and backwards. "Make sure you focus on the pins, and when your ready try again". 

Spike took a deep breath, and swung the ball forward, a little less vigorously, but with more precision. The ball flew down the lane, and came crashing into the pins. "Not bad, you knocked down 7 pins on your first....well, i guess second try", Tom said as he clapped. Spike's tail wagged a little. He didn’t think he would be so happy to knock down a few lousy pins with a ball. 

"Well, done indeed Spike....well done. But don’t get too excited. You aint got a chance of winning against me or Tom....come to think of it, Tom aint got a chance against me either", Butch said as he came back struggling trying to hold plate that held more nachos than the trio would know what to do with. 

"Ha, yeah right Butch! Im gonna make you eat those words", Tom said with a competitive smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So im thinking the next chapter will be a little more....well, dirty, if you know what i mean. I may keep it as a seperate work as to not upset the younger readers. OR the ones who were mainly looking for fluff. More than likely i will keep it as a seperate work, and the next chapter here will continue off from the following morning of said work.


	4. Into The Darkness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a little, minor altercation occurs after our trio finishes up thier bowling night.

For the next three hours, the bowling balls slid down the alleys and hit pins. Tom and Butch rivaled each others score competitively with each throw. Spike was trying his best to keep up, and honestly he wasn't doing so bad once he learned how to play. With enough practice, he could even become a rival to them himself......that might have been pushing it, but he liked to think he was part of the "group" now, or at least he wanted to be. 

"Give it up Tom! You know you won't win." Butch called out. 

"Why not just bow to your king now, and I might acknowledge you as a worthy opponent", Tom said back, as he focused on the pins. Spike watched in amazement. He had never seen a more competitive duo. Well, with the exception of Tom and Jerry's rivalry, altho, this bowling rivalry was a lot less one sided....... 

"The outside grew darker and darker progressively, until the street lights began to come on. The alley would be closing soon and the game was still tied......well, with spike a few points behind. 

Butch let out a yawn, whilst covering his mouth. "Ok, Tom, what say we call it a tie and end the night"? 

Tom also let out a yawn, for all three of the competitors were exhausted. "Ok, I agree, im bushed. Are we ever going to break this tie", he asked as he put the bowling ball back into the return. 

Spike laughed. "You two weren’t kidding when you said you stay here a long time. I gotta admit, this was a fun night". Spike said as he finished off the last of the nachos. The sky outside was gone, housing nothing but darkness. The trio walked outside as they waved goodbye to the desk clerk. The night air was surprisingly warm for an October night. 

As they walked, they told Butch about the day they finally buried the hatchet, they purposely left out the part where they shared the bed though. "Wow, who'd a thought that Jerry would bring you guys together. How ironic!", Butch said as he laughed. 

Tom and Spike never thought about that, until Butch mentioned it. Jerry was more or less the reason the two could never get along. That and they were never really good at talking to each other before. "Wow, your right. Guess that mouse was good for something after all", Tom said, sounding slightly impressed. 

The crickets outside chirped, in a nature melody, that seemed to get louder and louder as they trio walked. Suddenly, they began to hear a different sound. Like someone talking, and footsteps approaching from somewhere. The coming lights revealed three dogs approaching, whom seemed to be engaged in a conversation. The tallest one was all black and brown and stood in the middle. The second tallest was on the right, and boasted a yellow coat(fur). And the shortest one was all white with a brown peak at the tail. The dog Trio stopped in their tracks. "Hey, Spike! How's it going", The tallest one said before he began to look at the two cats that stood beside him. His speech was slightly slurred. He may have been drinking. 

"Pretty good, pretty good, just out bowling with some friends", Spike replied, with a smile, as he watched them exchange glances. To his surprise, the trio in front of him bursted out laughing. Spike Tom and Butch all looked around, confused. 

"Ha, hahahaha! That’s a good one Spike. Like a dog would ever be friends with a cat. Next you'll want us to believe aliens are attacking" The tallest one said, through his laughs. 

"Its true, anyone can become friends you know.....until recently, I never would have thought it possible myself, but its definitely true", Spike replied, now with more of a serious face. 

The second tallest of the three chuckled as he stepped forward. "Yeah, sure spike, sure. Look, if your done making jokes, lets go get some booze or something", he said with obvious intent on urging Spike to ditch Tom and Butch. 

"From the smells of it, you've already beat me to it. And besides, I've had my time out tonight and im kinda ready for some sleep", Spike said as he to push past the slight alcohol smell. 

"Whats the rush, got some other plans with your dates there. Hey, you two, beat it! Go find some mice to chase or something", The shortest one said as he waved the two cats away. Tom and Butch exchanged a similar disgusted facial expression, and stood in place defiantly. The two were a lot more confident and seemed to be prepared to stand up for themselves. Maybe it was because Spike was watching....or maybe it they were simply tired of the other stereotype of "scaredy cat" . Hard to say, but they had no intent on leaving. 

"Didn't you two hear him, he said scat", the second tallest one said as he stepped closer. 

"How about you take a hike! Your all obviously not in your right mindset right now....go home and sleep it off", Spike said, as he urged the three to walk away. Needless to say, ,to no avail. 

"Nope, no im not leaving, im stayin right here. Whats your problem Spike, too good to hang with us now", the yellow fur encased dog said. The shortest one stared at the commotion. It seemed that hent didn't want to go any further with the situation, so he just sort of backed off. Butch took note of him. 

The tallest dog seemed to get more adamant, to which Spike responded showing his own irritation. "Grant! Come on no need to go any further let's just go", the white clothed dog said to the tallest dog. 

"Tch, fine, whatever", Grant said as he turned on heel and began to walk back down the street. The second tallest began to follow. The all white dog shortly after, began to follow the other two. 

"Hey thanks for that", Butch called out as he gave a thumbs up to the dog. 

He simply smiled, nodded and continued to follow the other two. Tom put his hand on Spike's shoulder. "Well, that nearly got out of hand pretty quick, huh", Tom said with a laugh. 

"Hey guys, I'm sorry. Some of my friend.....and ones that don’t really act too well, when they get tanked. Then again who does", Spike said as he rubbed his own head. 

"Well, maybe they'll come to their senses when they sleep it off or something, Tom said. 

Butch looked back again towards the street lights. "Well at least one of them had some sense left....but anyway, my house is around the corner, so I guess this is where we part ways". 

"You sure you'll be fine going home tonight, they could still be.....", Tom began to say. 

"I'll be fine. I doubt they'll care about bothering anyone else tonight. I need some shut eye, and I need to shower. I smell like nachos. Good night you two", Butch replied as he waved to Spike and Tom and made his way around the corner. Spike and Tom Both waved back, as they both began to head back home as well. 

"He's right, the Nacho smell is stuck to all of us....not like it’s a bad thing though", Spike said as he bent his arm towards his nose to smell himself, unintentionally flexing in the process. Needless to say, Tom saw this and Blushed a little. 

"Well, I'd rather not pass the smell of to the bed, so, we should probably shower anyway. 

Spike wondered if he meant, showering separately or simultaneously? But pushed the thought out of his mind, as a silly thought..........

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So after a long procrastination, i finally knuckled down and started writing again. Sorry for the wait.


	5. Bathed in Cheesy Sentiments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After relaxing, Tom realizes that life would be easier if he relaxed more often, and even finds that being nicer to Jerry just might be much easier than he made it out to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, once again, sorry for the procrastination, but in my defense, i had to get another laptop. My last one crapped out pretty bad. Anyway, Jerry makes an appearance in this chapter. It wont be his only appearance btw. He'll pop up frequently, and even have a little more relevance in the story soon enough.

The inside of the house was much colder than earlier. Especially compared to outside. "I think we shouldn't have left the air conditioner running. Although at least it's not as humid as it was outside", Tom said as he closed the door behind them. He turned to see Spike was also, quite cold. Soon after, he motioned Spike to follow. 

Tom led Spike down the hallway towards the bathroom. "Oh yeah, I forgot about that shower. I don’t want to go to bed smelling like Nachos", Spike said as he recalled the conversation earlier. 

Tom opened the bathroom door to show a huge tub at the end of the room. "I figured a tub would be much more relaxing. This is where our owner comes when she wants to relax with a nice soak. I used it once, and it was honestly really nice. Especially after a hard day", Tom said as he turned the knob which began to release water into the tub. 

"I usually take showers with the water hose outside......I haven't had an actual bath since I was a pup. And if I recall, I hated it", Spike said, as he began to feel slightly uneasy. 

"Well, this will be much better. See, she even uses oils and things like that. I overheard her say something about it helping to relax", Tom said as he poured something in a bottle into the tub. It didn't take him long to hop into the bath, much to Spike's surprise. "Come on in, the water's fine". 

Spike was still hesitant. He still recalled how their owner would force baths upon him whenever he would play in the mud when he was much younger. If Tom, a cat, felt comfortable enough around water, then maybe he could give it another try. With that being said, he made his way over to the water. Naturally, his first reaction was to touch the water with his finger, and found the water to be decently hot. It definitely smelled good, like herbs. He slowly, dipped one foot into the spacious tub, and then another, until he was standing inside it. 

"Are you afraid the water will bite or something? And here you used to be the one calling me a scaredy cat", Tom said jokingly. He seemed to relax even more now. 

"Oh there's nothing to this. I'll show you, Spike said as he slowly sat down into the water. "See, I told you I could do it......it just feels like a regular bath to me. A little warmer than normal but....", suddenly, something began to happen. His body began to relax, almost going limp. "Wow....this feels great. I wish baths as a pup felt this good, otherwise I would have jumped at the chance to get in one of these", Spike said, as he sunk a little lower into the tub. 

"Yeah, and there's nothing better than a warm cozy bed after a hot bath. It's like taking a trip into heaven", Tom said. 

Spike turned to Tom, as they both sat up to their necks in water. "You know, you do a lot of fun things when you're not chasing Jerry. Why do you do that anyway", Spike asked. 

"Well, one reason being is that our owner can't stand him, and she makes me chase him away....to no avail usually. And the second reason is that he won't stop stealing food from the fridge. He eats surprisingly more than I do. He's also good at breaking stuff too", Tom said as he looked like he was starting to tense up again. 

Well.....I think you should forget about it. If you relaxed more often, it would be less stressful", Spike said as he rubbed Tom's head. 

Tom smiled and returned a head rub to Spike. Your right! Its always hard for me to relax, but im going to try it more often. Lets just enjoy the bath for now." 

 

  
After the bath, the two dried off, and prepared for bed. The next morning, the duo decided they should actually, get something done. While it would not take long to rebuild the house, they were still in no hurry. Although, even when they do finish it, nothing will change. They will still try to be friends with each other. "Can you pass me a few nails Tom", Spike asked as he hammered another into the roof of the discombobulated house. 

"I hate to say it spike, but we might need to get some more replacements. Some of the wood is really damaged this time, and it won't hold too well in the rain. Surprise, I know about construction too", Tom said as he handed the nails to Spike. 

"Well, you're just full of surprises huh? Well, how about we fix what we can for now, then spit shine it with some new parts here and there later", Spike said as he began writing down parts, needed from the store. 

"Sounds like a plan......huh", Tom asked as he looked through the window. He could see Jerry trying to scale the fridge to reach something atop of it. Looked like he was aiming for the cheese, atop. "Spike, can you give me a sec, I'll be right back", Tom said as he walked back inside the house. 

Spike wondered where Tom was off to, but he got distracted by the house collapsing again. "Well, he was right, its better if we just get replacement parts". 

Jerry, continued to climb the fridge to receive the cheesey reward, but eventually ended up sliding back down to the floor. "This is tedious! It's like it's gotten slicker or something", Jerry thought to himself as he stood up. Suddenly, he felt a strange presence in the area. A huge shadow appeared over him. "Has it gotten darker already? Its only 10am". He turned around slowly, to see the Tom cat he knew standing behind him, looking down at him. Jerry's first reaction was to back into the fridge, and await to see what Tom would do...... 

To Jerry's surprise, Tom reached atop the fridge, and grabbed the cheese. He assumed that Tom would move it to an even higher place, or eat it right in front of him.... but, what Tom did next was truly something of shock. "Here you are. You would be better off asking for help", Tom said as he smiled, and lowered the plate of cheese down to the floor. Shortly after, he walked off back towards the door. Jerry stood in awe, usually Tom would take the cheese away, but he actually gave it to Jerry.....and was nice about it. He urged himself to examine the cheese to make sure that there was no catch to it. 

"Well, I'll be. Maybe we can all finally start getting along for good this time", Spike said as he watched from the window. He quickly made his way back to the position when he heard the door reopen. 

"Well, shall we go get the rest of the supplies? We'll need to fresh stuff if we're going to get this thing to stay up", Tom said. 

Spike nodded in agreement. "Yeah, then we can finish most of it today", Spike said, as he and Tom made their way out of the yard. 

Inside the house, Jerry still sat examining the cheese, still almost sure it was a trick, but his belly began to growl, and he simply did not want to wait any longer, and happily began to eat the cheese.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to thank all of the readers of the story. I honestly didn't not expect it to get this much attention. I'll definitely continue to add to the story, and i'm going to try to get these out much faster.


	6. Ice cream, You Scream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two get an unexpected surprise after leaving the hardware store, and then later, they grow closer to each other through more than just words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The fluff is real in this one.

"You know, whenever I build something, I get all my supplies from this store. They have the best hardware in town. From ladders to simple school paper", Spike said as he walked up towards the door that had the words "What a Tool", written on it. A pretty pun filled name sure, but great service. 

"Well with a name like that, I have to wonder", Tom replied. 

"Trust me, we'll get everything we need here. See, come in, let's get some more wood and nails", Spike said as he held the door open for Tom. A classic doorbell chime filled the store as they stepped into a surprisingly chilly store. The smell of wood filled the area, which was to be expected. 

"The store is pretty small, I think I can see everything from this spot. That’s pretty convenient", Tom said as he pointed to a shelf housing different sized planks of wood. After the duo grabbed wood, nails and paint, the paid for the supplies and made their way towards the exit. But they had an unexpected surprise waiting. 

"This stuff, combined with the rain guard we already have will definitely do the trick this time", Spike said as he carried the bag. 

Tom opened for the door this time. "Yeah, but before we go home, how about some ice cream from the ice cream stand outside", Tom asked. 

"That sounds pretty good actually", Spike replied, as he exited the open door. They could already see the stand, and two figures standing at it. "Lines not long I see, but those voices sound familiar. 

Tom perked up quickly. "Hey, you're right, but one of those voices in particular is unmistakable! I think Butch is up there", Tom said as he began to walk towards the stand. Spike followed closely behind curiously. Upon closer inspection, Butch was there.....but another familiar there too. 

Spike, stood in surprise. "Rodney!? Butch", Spike asked sounding confused. 

"Tom, Spike, hey what's up? Buying hardware, I see", Butch said as he waved at the two. Butch stood next to the white dog that had the brown tip at his tail. The one that convinced Grant to back off, last night. Rodney simply waved at the duo. 

"Butch, and..... your....Rodney? the one from last night right", Tom said. 

"That’s me", Rodney replied. 

"You see, I bumped into him earlier today at the grocery store, and he flagged me down". Butch said. 

Rodney took a step forward. "Yeah, it’s a little hazy, but I definitely remember some stuff from last night, and I feel bad about it. I stopped him to apologize about last night. I'm also Apologizing for Grant. He really does feel bad, but you know him, he would die before admitting he was wrong", Rodney said as he shook his head, then looked at Spike. "I wanted to make it up to Butch by buying him an ice cream. I also should apologize to you two as well, for all of us. 

"Well, no hard feelings from me. Besides, you were really cool about it last night, and even now", Tom said. 

"Yeah, its all cool, but Grant's the one who should be here apologizing. He's the one who caused the ruckus", Spike said. 

"Yeah, like I said, he really does feel bad, but he's just a proud idiot who doesn’t really think before he speaks. Besides, he is supposed to meet us for a bite and apologize in person Rodney said. 

"Well, now that we're all on good terms, how's about you two come with us to the to get a bite, I mean if you guys don’t have anything to do right now", Butch seemingly unaware of the bags Spike carried. Butch was never really good at putting his mind past fun, but sometimes it was just in the timing. 

"Well, the house will still be there, tomorrow right? Plus, I want to make sure Grant apologizes correctly', Spike said. 

Tom thought it over for just a few seconds. "Well, I don’t see why not, but I still want a little ice cream before we get there", Tom said as he walked up to the stand. 

"Ok well, you guys just meet us at the pizza place two streets over in an hour or so", Butch said as he and Rodney began to make their way down the street. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------  
"See, I told you they weren’t that bad. Grant and Pedro are a little rough around the edges, but ultimately, they are basically harmless", Spike said as he bit into his ice cream. The two momentarily made their way back to the house to deposit the supplies they got earlier. 

"Yeah, you were right. I feel a lot better now. I'm glad we're all getting along now, Tom said as he finished his ice cream and then looked at the window of their house. Spike took note of this, and recalled Tom helping Jerry earlier. 

"Yeah and don’t think I didn't see you earlier being nice to Jerry. I definitely saw", Spike said teasingly to Tom. 

Tom looked at the ground somewhat embarrassed. Well, last night, when you said I should just try to relax more, I took it to heart. And frankly, it made me feel better to help him". Tom said. 

"Well, it was.....kinda cute, you know....", Spike said, before eying Tom's face. He began to feel that warm feeling again, a comfortable feeling. 

Likewise, Tom felt something too. A warm fuzzy feeling, that he two had been feeling since he and Spike began to spend more time together. 

"Hey, you got some...ice cream on your face, right here", Spike told time as he tried to indicate it by pointing to his own face. 

"What, where, around my chin", Tom asked. He wiped the area twice with his palm. "Did I get it"? 

"Nope. Here let me....", Spike said as he gently grabbed Tom's face. HE slowly brought it closer to his own face, smiling all the way. "Well, I don’t think....we should let it go to waste, so", Spike said, before sticking out his tongue. He slowly licked Tom's cheek. 

Tom shuddered a little, but it seemed to be out of pleasure. "o....oh", he let out a gasp as spike licked the other side of his cheek. But it didn't stop there, Spike took a short pause, before he brought his lips close to Tom's. Tom closed his eyes. He was only halfway sure of what Spike was doing......but he didn't detest. And sure enough, his suspicion was right. Spike lips, connected with Tom's. For seconds, that seemed like minutes, the kiss continued. 

At last, the lip lock ended. "I'm....I'm sorry. I didn't mean to", Spike began to say. 

"Don’t be sorry. It was nice....and besides, we both know you did that on purpose. I got that ice cream off on the first wipe didn't I", Tom said as he looked at his arm and smiled at the ice cream he wiped from his face, leftover on his arm. 

"Well, I guess. I couldn’t resist. I never would have thought i would do that, but I felt so comfortable. I looked into your eyes, and I saw.... peace. And it made me happy", Spike said as he rubbed Tom's head again. 

Tom grabbed Spike in a tight embrace. "Well, im not as gullible as I used to be, so next time, just ask", now let's go meet the guys for some food...and then we need to talk about what that kiss meant", Tom said as he smiled at Spike. 

Spike returned the smile, and stood up to follow Tom. He felt good, that he made that sort of move, but he hoped he didn't do it too soon. Tom seemed to like the kiss as well, but Spike himself didn't quite know what the kiss meant, but he had a hunch.


	7. Listen Cat: One big Sappy Family.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A nice apology meal, turns out to have more than just one apology. And another surprise awaits the duo when they get home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, sorry for the wait. Procrastination always hits me like a ton of bricks. Plus i have friends that like to colab with their stories all the time, so its rare when i can get something down. *shrugs* anyway, enjoy!

"A pizza place? Well, honestly, I am not surprised, I mean pizza is the absolute best apology I would be able to think of", Tom said as he opened the door to the restaurant. The second the door swung open, an intoxicating smell of cheese and garlic smacked them both in the face. 

"Woah, that smells good! Grant always did have great taste when it came to food. Now where could they be", Spike asked as he looked around. The place wasn't all that big. You could practically see the entire place from the door, which would make it easier to spot them. And sure enough, there they were, right in the corner of the restaurant. "Tom, I see them over there." There was Grant, Pedro, Rodney and Butch. Tom and Spike both made their way over to the table. 

"Well, looks like you guys finally showed up. We held off ordering the pizza to wait for you slowpokes", Butch said as he waved them over. 

"Ah shut it Butch, we made it didn't we", Tom responded back. Butch and Tom always bickered in a friendly way. They had a really good friendship going, that made Spike kind of jealous. This isn't to say he didn't enjoy spending time with his own friends. He just wished they would be less drinky, and more relaxed. The two sat down and joined the rest of the group at the table. 

Grant looked around at the group, with a smile on his face. "Alright, I suppose you already know why we're all here. I don’t remember much from the other night, but Rodney filled me in on the details. With that being said, I would like to apologize for what I did. I feel like an idiot for it, actually, and I didn't mean to cause any stir. 

"It's all water under the bridge. It takes a mature person to admit to doing something wrong, and for that you have my respect. In the last few days I've learned to forgive, not just others, but myself. I have done a few things that wish I could take back as well, but if I held on to those things, then it would only cloud my judgement of myself and others", Tom said as he spun a straw in a circular motion on the table. 

"That’s a great perspective Tom. I feel that way sometimes too. There are things I wish I could just forget ever happened, but I suppose everything happens for a reason", Spike added, as he rested his hand on Tom's shoulder. 

Butch looked down at the table. "I think we all feel like that. Ya know somethin Tom, you and I occasionally tried to get the one up on each other. When I think back on it now I feel kinda crazy, well, that’s over now at least. 

"Well, Rodney and I were a little bad last night too. So I guess even if it’s just a little, we share some of the blame too", Pedro said. For a few seconds, the entire table was quiet. Everyone seemed to have a frown on their face, indicating everyone felt pretty bad about something, but soon, all the frowns turned into smiles. 

"So....dont feel too bad Grant, we've all done stuff. But its in the past now", Tom said. Grant actual looked back up and nodded. 

"Hehe, no more gloomy business alright, lets get that pizza already, I'm starvin over here", Butch said as he threw his hands up. Everyone at the table laughed, and agreed. It was truly amazing how the situation escalated. They came in only expecting an apology, but ended up learning a lesson themselves. Peace......peace was the motive here. Both outer and inner, not just for those two, but for all of them. The entire meal, they all talked, not one thing in particular, but just about general stuff. Sports, food, and tv stuff. All and all, it was really fun, but darkness loomed again, and everyone was ready to return home. 

Everyone made their way outside, which still had a small amount of daytime outside. "That was way more fun than I thought it would be! We should do this again sometime you know", Grant said as he looked around and smiled. 

"I agree, but it seems to getting dark now, so we should probably all head home. Later guys", Tom said as he waved to the group. Everyone began walking back to their homes. I don’t think we're ever going to finish that doghouse, are we spike? Not like that would be a bad thing I guess. Maybe she'll just let you stay in the house". 

"Well, actually, at this point I wouldn't mind it. The house is much comfier, and I wouldn't mind using that bathtub thing more often either. Its like one of those spa things that I hear her talking about when she's on the phone". Spike replied. 

"Well, if you want, we can use it as much as we want, when she's gone, but we have to clean and dry it, so she won't get suspicious." The two arrived back at the house, and fortunately, it was actually, not cold this time. "Now if I recall, I think its time we talked about that kiss from earlier. 

Spike suddenly froze up. He nearly forgot that Tom wanted to talk about that. Now, the bulldog stood there, nervously, trying to figure out what to say next. "Um, wwwell, yyyyou see I.....", he stammered. 

""Go ahead Spike, take your time", Tom said Jokingly with a smile. 

"Alright alright, I suppose it had to be said at some point or another. Tom, that kiss meant.....it meant.....it meant....", Spike said beginning to sound like a broken record. 

"I like you too Spike. More than like actually", Tom said. 

Spike's jaw dropped. That’s pretty much what he wanted to say, but couldn't quite get it out. "I like you Tom", Spike said in a high-pitched sounding voice. 

"Yeah, we've pretty much established we like each other. But it's good to know you finally got it out", Tom said with smile still showing. 

"I'm glad I got that off my chest! I'll be honest, I think I nearly wet myself when you asked me to explain it again. It just felt so embarrassing because it happened so suddenly. Literally, I mean, a few days ago we were not on good terms. And that kiss, it happened so suddenly, almost like my body reacted before my mind. Tom we've known each other for as long as I can remember. Ever since we were younger we even knew each other pretty well. Mainly because of all our malicious encounters, but that’s beside the point. That kiss...felt right. 

"I feel the same way you know. I mean, I know it sounds strange, but that kiss felt familiar. Like it was long awaited. Like you said, it may be because we've known each other for so long, in a way that’s different from what is normally expected I guess, we warmed up to each other over the years without realizing it. I mean I have never...had interest in another guy until now.....you know. Or at least I don’t think I have." Tom said as he stared at the floor. 

 

"Same for me actually. Tom, I know this is all happening kind of fast, but I maybe....maybe we can be...um. You know what I'm trying to say right?" Spike then same up and grabbed Tom in a hug pulling him closer. This surprised Tom, but made him feel even warm. 

Yeah, I know. You're not very good with your emotions are ya", tom said as he looked up with a smile. "But your actions speak louder than your words, that for sure". 

"Sooo um", Spike uttered as he stood there holding Tom. Even Tom himself stood unable to speak. Perhaps they were both too nervous to speak, but then, something unexpected happened. 

"Just go ahead and kiss already", Both Tom and Spike looked around, and saw Jerry sitting on the counter, smiling at the two. 

"J...jerry, how long have you been sitting there? Oh whatever! Ask and you shall receive", Tom said as he grabbed Spike's face and brought it to his own. 

"So this is a new thing...well sort of new now huh, being peaceful again", Jerry asked as he stood up. 

"Yeah I guess we should probably explain some things huh", Spike said as he looked at Tom. 

\-------------------------------------------------------- 

"So that’s why you gave me that cheese from the top of the fridge the other day. You were being nice. 

"Basically. So we've decided to bury the hatchet permanently this time. Life is so much easier when we're not feuding with each other, so what do ya say" Tom asked, as he held his hand out. 

Jerry was slightly hesitant at first, but with a few seconds of mulling it over, he decided that life could indeed be easier if they shared the house, and stopped trying to destroy each other. "Ok, peace it is", he said as he put he returned his hand into the bigger hand. And thus, the trio's friendship was reestablished.   
There was however one more day before their owner returned, so they would need to fix the house before then......

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So im thinking the next chapter shall be the last....but it may not be the end of this pairing. I might make a spinoff or a part 2 if you will.


End file.
